Penn State Notebook 10/28/2012

STATE COLLEGE - So much of what went right for the last five games went wrong for Penn State.

The special teams unit that had done so much wrong didn't follow suit, either.

The Nittany Lions had their best game of the season on special teams, including finishing off the only first-half touchdown Penn State managed in its 35-23 loss to Ohio State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

With 6:15 to go in the half, the game still scoreless and the Buckeyes punting from the shadow of their own end zone, linebacker Mike Hull charged through the middle of the Ohio State protection and mauled punter Ben Buchanan just after his right foot made contact with the ball. Reserve linebacker Mike Yancich fell on the ball in the end zone, and Penn State had the lead.

What happened immediately after the block impressed Yancich even more than his first collegiate touchdown, though.

"We just executed what we've worked on in practice so many times," Yancich said. "Mike Hull came untouched up the middle. I saw him, and I know he had a chance to fall on it, actually swipe the ball into the end zone."

Swatting the ball forward isn't exactly a legal play. But Hull, who knew he had a chance to smother the ball at the 1, hoped he could spare the Penn State offense a jog onto the field.

He swatted the ball so quickly, the officials didn't notice. He swatted it so accurately, Yancich was the only player who had a chance to fall on it.

"I saw Yancich out of the corner of my eye," Hull smiled. "I didn't want to take any chances."

Crowd issues

The atmosphere at Beaver Stadium was electric before the game, and it lasted well into the second half before the Buckeyes took over on the scoreboard. But the loud crowd didn't just cause problems for Ohio State.

Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin said communication problems were part of the reason the Nittany Lions made so many mistakes offensively and failed to get into the type of rhythm that helped carry them to three Big Ten wins.

"That happens through the course of a game when you run the type of offense we do," McGloin said. "The crowd sometimes is a factor."

One teammate who disagreed with McGloin's assessment was receiver Allen Robinson, who said the crowd noise should have been overcome by the offense.

"It was more just a focus on everyone's part," he said. "It was just some things, like (center Matt) Stankiewitch not quite being able to hear McGloin clearly. There were just a few things that we've got to correct in practice."

Missed chance

Speaking of Robinson, he acknowledged that he had a chance to give Penn State an early lead that, quite literally, slipped through his fingers.

On Penn State's third offensive play, he slipped behind an Ohio State defender, streaked up the seam and noticed McGloin loft a pass his way. Robinson appeared to slow down a bit, then readjust before dropping the pass after a diving attempt.

"It was a little bit out in front of me," Robinson said of the pass. "But I should have had it. That's one I definitely wish I had back. In a big game like this, that's a play I've got to make."

Miller time

The neck injury that took Braxton Miller out of Ohio State's overtime win over Purdue clearly didn't have an affect on his play Saturday.

He tortured the Penn State defense on the ground, carrying 25 times for 134 yards. He finished with 143 passing yards, but more than half came on his perfect 72-yard strike to Jake Stoneburner in the fourth quarter that stamped out the Nittany Lions' hopes.

Still, the Nittany Lions defenders knew it was his running ability that made the difference in the game.

"It's just surprising elusiveness," Hull said. "You think he's there, then he cuts on a dime. And he's gone." There was no better play to describe that elusiveness than the first of his two rushing touchdowns, which gave the Buckeyes a 21-10 lead with 3:30 to go in the third quarter. On third and goal from the 1, he took the snap. juked left to dodge a charging Penn State tackler, broke through an arm tackle and leaped into the end zone for the score.

Future Lions?

Part of the allure of the rivalry with Ohio State is that it traditionally is one of the busiest recruiting days for Penn State.

Saturday's game was no exception. Estimates of how many prospects were invited onto the sidelines before the game ranged in the 80 to 100 range, including the two biggest verbal commitments to the Nittany Lions' 2013 class: Quarterback Christian Hackenberg and tight end Adam Breneman.

Several local stars were among those in attendance. Two Scranton High School star seniors, receiver/cornerback Karlon Quiller and quarterback Marlinn Waiters, were there, watching pregame warmups from the end zone. Dunmore junior offensive lineman James McHale also was on the invite list.

Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com On Twitter @psubst

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